Friday, September 10, 2010

Swim Day, Injury Report, and Fan Art

Today's swim was all right. I'm not thrilled, but not disappointed. I probably could have gone a little faster, had a little more rest after the 300, 400, and 500, but it was a long day today and I was tired. I got about ten seconds between the 300 and 400, and about two seconds between the400 and 500. The 500 I was two seconds above my set standard. The GT students will have noticed that these, like just about every other set I swim, are based on a 1:30/100yds standard. That seems to be working out pretty well for me.On the plus side the set didn't hurt too bad, wasn't an overly straining cardiovascular workout, and my stroke stayed together pretty well. That's a lot of distance in one set right now, so I can't be too upset with having little-to-no rest.I did finally realize that what I have been wearing to swim is unacceptable. I have old zoomers which I've been wearing under board shorts. I know, I know, I know. Board shorts to work out? Pipe down. I didn't want to spend too much money, I owned them, and I was busy buying a ton of bike stuff. So I swam in less-than-ideal shorts. But my last two swims have made it perfectly clear that they are doing more harm than good and I needed a change. So after my workout we headed to Sports Authority to grab a new pair of zoomers and some swim paddles, which will develop my upper body strength. Key to a race where two-thirds is lower body, so the third that I can use my arms I had better to the best of my ability.Injury ReportWoke up this morning with the top of my right foot super sore. I begin suppressing panic immediately. Top of foot pain is a big deal to runners, especially minimalist runners like myself. It can indicate all sorts of bad things going on with the foot. If you use The Google and type in "top of foot pain" you will get responses that go from, "Meh, take a few ibprofen, ice it, rest it for a day or three," all the way to, "You have caused a stress fracture of your metatarsal. Go to a doctor. DO NOT RUN FOR SIX WEEKS!" This, not so good for my fragile nerves and sometimes high-strung personality. All I could think about was how I screwed myself over and I was messed up and how am I going to train with this and awww, Christ and other words. As soon as I got to school I fired a semi-panicked email to Sister Dirtbag, Official Trainer of Team Dirtbag, explaining what I was feeling. I was sure I'd screwed myself with my run yesterday. In fact, I'm still sure that's what caused the problem. I over-ran, and when I did that I forgot everything I know about stride and how important to a barefoot runner proper stride is. I hammered my feet instead of gliding and being light on them. Dumbass x 2.Then my inbox pinged. Sister Dirtbag, Official Trainer of Team Dirtbag, had gotten back to me. After reading my description, she concluded I should relax, take some ibprofen, stretch gently, and ice it. *sigh**breathe* Ok, good. She asked a few more questions, I gave a few more answers, and her responses were right in line with what I'd been reading. The soreness is on the big toe side and doesn't occur when standing, only when flexing the toes. If I'd fractured my metatarsal then it would hurt to stand and it would probably hurt on the pinky toe side, since those bones and smaller and more fragile.So, in conclusion, I hurt my foot but not that bad. It already feels better than it did this morning. I'll be taking ibprofen, stretching gently, and icing the area regularly. I'll also skip my run Sunday, replacing it with a stint on the eliptical machine for the same time so I still get my cardio in. Then I don't run again until Wednesday, which is also my first brick day. And if it still hurts then I'll skip that run too. Not nearly as bad as I feared when I woke up. All hail Sister Dirtbag, Offiical Trainer of Team Dirtbag. (Yes, it's in her unwritten contract that she must be referred to using her whole and complete title at all times. Prima dona.)

Fan ArtThe above is submitted by Cycle Dirtbag's wife, Pedals. She used my facebook profile picture, Photoshop, and a bike pump to further inflate my already massive ego by allowing me to have a Fan Art section. Way to go!Do you have a picture of me to make me feel awesomer about being me? Send it in!

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